GCI commends task force dedication to Alaska’s broadband future

Appointed by Commissioner Susan Bell of the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development in February 2010, the task force is comprised of 22 individuals who understand the challenges of broadband deployment across Alaska and who have specific knowledge of communications systems. The report reflects their work, as well as the input of a variety of organizations — from educators to regional Alaska Native corporations, and addresses the importance of extending the full benefits of broadband technology to every Alaskan.

“GCI applauds the efforts of the Broadband Task Force over the past two years,” said Tina Pidgeon, GCI’s general counsel and senior vice president of governmental affairs. “We extend special thanks to Commissioner Susan Bell for her vision in establishing the task force, and to Assistant Commissioner Roberta Graham for her commitment to and leadership of the task force’s work. We also wish to recognize Anchorage Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Bill Popp for his able service as chair of this engaged group.”

“As Alaska’s leading investor in broadband infrastructure, GCI shares the vision of the task force that incentives for private investment must be encouraged and enhanced, but not deterred, by the availability of any public funding,” Pidgeon said. “We look forward to continued opportunities to create value for our customers throughout Alaska.”

The full Broadband Task Force Report is available at www.akbroadbandtaskforce.com.

A pioneer in bundled services, GCI is the top provider of voice, data and video services to Alaska consumers with a 70 percent share of the consumer broadband market. GCI is also the leading provider of communications services to enterprise customers, particularly large enterprise customers with complex data networking needs. More information about GCI can be found at www.gci.com.